7535: How
can we define the qiblah for Muslim students at the University of
California?

i
am the president of muslim student association in california state
university at long beach,and by allah help we were able to have a place to
pray in the campus,but the problem is that we i asked about the direction
of ALQIBLA i have found two differents answer on is southeast {which i
agree on}the other is north east.i now on big problem because i do not
know where to place alqibla in the place we got.i know it does not make
any sence but i really do not know waht to do.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

Wa
‘alaykum al-salaam wa rahmat-Allaahi wa barakaatuhu (and upon you be peace
and the mercy and blessings of Allaah). We congratulate you and your
companions for your efforts in getting a place to pray. We ask Allaah to
fill it with you and with people who will stand and bow and prostrate there.

Secondly:

One
of the essential parts (pillars) of the prayer is facing the qiblah; this is
a must. Whoever knows the direction of the qiblah and can face it, but does
not do so, his prayer is invalid and he is a sinner, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

Unless one has a valid excuse, this is
the requirement in fard (obligatory) prayers. With regard to naafil
(supererogatory) prayers, it is
permissible to face any direction one wishes if one is riding whilst
travelling. But if one is able to dismount, then it is not permissible for
one who is praying a naafil prayer to face any direction other than the
qiblah, when one does not have the excuse of riding whilst travelling.

Thirdly:

Whoever
is near the Ka’bah has to face the Ka’bah itself, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

Hence the rows
of worshippers around the Ka’bah are circular; the further away they are,
the wider the circle is, and the closer they are, the smaller the circle is.
Whoever is inside al-Masjid al-Haraam has to face the Ka’bah itself.
Whoever is in Makkah has to face al-Masjid al-Haraam; whoever is outside
Makkah has to face Makkah. Facing in that direction is sufficient, because
of the hadeeth, “Whatever is between the east and the west is the
qiblah.” (Narrated by al-Tirmdihi, 342; Ibn Maajah, 1011).

This reference to the east and the west applies
specifically to the people of Madeenah and others for whom the direction of
the Qiblah is the same, because the Messenger [an error occurred while processing this directive] (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said this to the people of Madeenah.

Fourthly:

After looking at the map – which is what you
should do – if you look at the map and draw a line between California and
Makkah and look at the direction of this line, this will tell you what the
direction of the qiblah is.

(This is according to a fatwa given to us by
our shaykh, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen. The worshipper does
not have to pay attention to the curvature of the earth’s surface when
determining the qiblah; he can work out the direction of Makkah by a
straight line).

When we look at the map, we find that the
direction of the qiblah (from California) is towards the east, with a very
slight deviation towards the south which is hardly worth mentioning.

So your qiblah lies between the north and the
south, so if you face east, somewhere between the north and south, that will
be OK. There is no need to cause big problems and fitnah among the Muslims
concerning this issue which Islam has made easy, when it says that the
qiblah is between the east and the west, and the scholars have stated that a
slight deviation from the direction of Makkah does not matter. So use
whatever means are available to determine the direction of the qiblah.

The Standing Committee was asked about using
astronomical instruments to determine the direction of the Ka’bah, and
they replied as follows:

The Muslim scholars and those who were experienced
in navigation could find the direction of the Ka’bah at night by referring
to the Pole Star and other stars, and the moon as it rose and set, and
during the day by referring to the sun as it rose and set, and by reference
to other natural phenomena, before there were any Japanese or European
navigational devices and the like. So knowledge of the qiblah is not to be
determined solely by use of these tools. But if it is confirmed by
trustworthy Muslim experts in this field that a specific device can show the
direction of the qiblah precisely or approximately, then there is no
shar’i reason why we should not use it; indeed, it may be obligatory to
act in accordance with it if a person who wants to pray cannot find any
other evidence of the qiblah.

May Allaah help us and you to do all that is
good. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.